SANDPOINT — Hundreds of Bonner County residents knelt in prayer in Farmin Park on Thursday asking for God’s direction and blessings for the country, its leaders and its people.

“We live in a great nation,”  John Stantion, pastor of the Sandpoint Seventh-day Adventist Church, told a crowd of more than 700. “But that nation needs our prayer because it faces some difficult, troubling times right now. We can think of nothing better to do at this time than during our national Day of Prayer than to pray for our nation together.”

Thousands and thousands of Americans, all across the nation, took time out Thursday to pray for unity and direction, and express thanks for the blessings in their lives, said Ken Lawrence, pastor at River of Life Church.

The gathering was attended by a wide representation of residents packing the park, from children to the elderly, from students to community leaders, including all three county commissioners.

The trio made it clear, however, they were attending on their own time and as private individuals.

In seeking direction on what to say, Commissioner Joe Young said he came across Ephesians 6-18, which calls on the faithful to “pray in the spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.”

As a country, we need to go to God and asking Him for the things which are important to us as individuals, as a community and as a nation, Young said.

“We need to depend on God, not ourselves,” he added. “Remember, he says to love God and love no other and to love our neighbors. If we remember those two things, think of how much better this world would be.”

Chad Wilks, senior pastor at Sandpoint Church of the Nazarene, asked those gathered to unite their hearts, saying that the country was in crisis.

“This is not a political statement, it’s something we’ve been seeing develop for a number of years,” he said.

“It’s resulted in people becoming cold and callous toward God and withdrawing from the purposes of which our nation was founded.”

Led by 20 of the community’s pastors, those gathered knelt in prayer before breaking into groups to pray on the “seven mountains” of prayer: government, church, military, family, education, media and business.

The local observance was a tremendous success, with everyone from the young to the old taking part, Ross Hall, one of the organizers, said.

Lawrence agreed.

“I had one gentleman come up to me afterward and say that when he knelt, he felt something wonderful happen in Sandpoint,” he said.